Most hinges designed for use in entry way doors or cabinet frames permit an opening angle 90 degrees or greater in order to permit sufficient access to the storage area for the user. Yet, there are some situations where it is desirable to use a hinge that restricts the angle to 90 degrees or less. For example, some households are equipped with a “sink” or “tip-out” tray mounted in an opening on the front panel of a kitchen sink cabinet, directly in-front of the sink tub. These types of tray mechanisms and their corresponding hinges are specially designed to permit the tray to pivot in and out of the tight space formed between the frame of the sink cabinet, counter top and sink tub.
While hinges for sink trays are known in the art, such prior art hinges are in the form of scissor-type hinges, such as the first and second prior art hinges 100, 101 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. The first and second prior art hinges 100, 101 incorporate a complex system of levers, panels, pins and coil springs and are relatively expensive because of their complexity and the amount of material they use. These prior art hinges are also designed to be mounted to the side walls of the sink cabinet, which reduces the space available for the sink tray.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a hinge with a simple, compact and economical design that includes an adjustment mechanism for controlling the opening angle so it can be used in conjunction with cabinet or door systems—such as sink tray system or the like—where it is desirable to be able to adjust the permitted opening angle.